Child of the Second Vatican Council ordains priests of the Fraternity of Saint Peter

Theologically and liturgically, the Fraternity of Saint Peter pursues a different focus than he himself as a "child of the Second Vatican Council", says Bishop Bertram Meier. Nevertheless, he ordained ten members of the community as priests.

Augsburg Catholic Bishop Bertram Meier ordained ten members of the traditionalist Fraternity of Saint Peter as priests in the monastery church of Ottobeuren on Saturday. The Diocese of Augsburg announced this on its website at the weekend. According to the Fraternity, five of the men come from France, three from Germany, and one each from Austria and Switzerland.

The Fraternity of Saint Peter celebrate Mass in the old rite and are critical of some of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The Priestly Fraternity was founded in 1988 on the initiative of Pope John Paul II (1978-2005). Its purpose is to provide a home for traditionalist Catholics and to integrate them into the Church. Unlike the Priestly Fraternity of Pius X, it has subordinated itself to the Pope.

In his sermon, Meier called on the candidates for ordination to become holy priests. They should be authentic and stand with both feet on the ground. In order to strengthen hope, daily prayer is needed. The Bishop said that they need "the Liturgy of the Hours to which you have committed yourselves, personal prayer in silence and contemplation, immersion in Sacred Scripture and inward acceptance of the Word of God".

Meier: Priests of the Fraternity of Saint Peter have a different focus from myself

The greatest gift, however, according to the Bishop, is the Holy Eucharist. Heaven opens up above the altar, not only for the priest, but for all those entrusted to his pastoral care. However, this does not mean "salvation", which is reduced to wellness and a pleasant emotional life, but rather placing God in the centre of life.

The international seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is located in the Swabian town of Wigratzbad (Diocese of Augsburg). As a result, the Petrus brothers are also subject to his care as bishop, Meier explained on the sidelines of the ordination: "Therefore, it is my duty - analogous to religious congregations - to build up a trusting relationship with them, to make visits and, on a case-by-case basis, also to confer ordinations."

At the same time, the Bishop admitted that the theological and liturgical orientation of the Fraternity of St Peter had a somewhat different focus than he himself was used to as a "child of the Second Vatican Council". Nevertheless, it was a matter of concern for him to build bridges and to integrate the Fraternity of Saint Peter into the life of the local Church of Augsburg. His experiences in this regard made him hopeful, said Meier. It is therefore important to continue along this path of trust.

Source

From the Diocesan website

Priests as the "extended arm of Jesus Christ"

Homily of the Diocesan Bishop Dr Bertram Meier in the Basilica of Ottobeuren on the Ordination of the Fraternity of St Peter on Saturday 10 June 2023

Dear candidates for ordination, dear relatives and friends, dear brothers in priestly and diaconal ministry, dear sisters and brothers in the Lord!

In 2021, when the South Korean Bishop Lazarus You took office in the Vatican as Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy (now the Dicastery for the Clergy), he gave an interview that made people sit up and take notice.

Courageously, he took up the current situation of the Church and said in no uncertain terms: "Without the renewal of priests, there is no renewal of the Church." And he stated, "There is a need for holy priests." Perhaps we have kept it quiet for too long - or have even been ashamed of it: what counts is holiness.  This is not just about observing and expanding our calendar of saints in the Church year.  It is about ourselves!  The Second Vatican Council underlines the vocation of all baptised and confirmed Christians to holiness: "All believers in Christ are invited and obliged to strive for holiness and perfection according to their state.  " (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, Chapter V, No. 42.)

What is true for everyone is even more of a duty for us priests!  That is why I call out to you, dear candidates for ordination, today: Do not be afraid to become saints!  This is not asking for anything extraordinary or even spectacular.  On the contrary: holiness begins with humility.  For there is only One Holy One and His Name is God.  This Holy God gives us human beings a share in his holiness.  The Holy God created us in his image and likeness.  That is a good and promising start!  But we know the further course of history.  It is true that God called us well into being, but man, however, has transgressed the limits set for him and has placed himself on the throne of the Holy of Holies.  We all have to nibble at this negative heritage that is imprinted on us.  Since original sin, evil has crept into our humanity and taken root.  We have become alienated from God.  Nevertheless, God does not put an end to us!  On the contrary: in his inexhaustible love, he courts us even when we backslide.  The Holy God wants us to become what we are supposed to be according to his plan: holy.  God sanctifies us human beings.  In consecration, the great gift of sanctification is revealed.  You become, as it were, the extended arm of Jesus Christ.  Through them he reaches out to people for salvation and holiness.  The clothing with stole and chasuble also expresses it: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me".  (Gal 2,20) Him you have put on like a garment.  (cf. Gal 3:27)

Thank you for accepting the great gift of sanctification for yourself personally and for wanting to pass it on to people through your ministry.  Dear Candidates for ordination!  Today is certainly a high point in your biography.  But this celebration must not be a flash in the pan.  In specific terms, this means that God's offer of salvation must be accepted and received again and again.  In other words, we must become empty so that he can fill us with his love and holiness.  This remains our great task even and especially after priestly ordination - throughout our lives.  Pope Francis describes our priestly existence very aptly: "We are called to be like great amphorae to give drink to others.  Sometimes being an amphora turns into a heavy cross, but it is precisely on the cross that the Lord, pierced by the lance, has given himself to us as a source of living water.  Let us not be deprived of hope!" (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (2013), n. 86.) Faithful prayer is needed to strengthen hope.  The Liturgy of the Hours to which you have committed yourselves, personal prayer in silence and contemplation, immersion in Sacred Scripture and inward acceptance of the Word of God.

But the greatest gift is the Holy Eucharist.  Every day you may and should celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  In this context, I would like to tell you about a custom that has been handed down about Pope John Paul II: At the early Mass in his private chapel, he used to bring small pieces of paper and place them on the altar during the offertory.  With the slips of paper he connected concerns of the world and of the people, which he included in the Holy Mass.  When you join Christ at the altar and act in his person (in persona Christi), you should always carry stories and faces in your heart that stand for all those you bring to the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit: Per Ipsum et cum Ipso et in Ipso ... Sometimes one can get dizzy at the thought that here at the altar heaven is open and - as Pope Pius XII once said - "I may be closer to the heavenly Father than anywhere else"  Yes, at the altar we celebrate under an open, open sky.  Above the altar, heaven opens up - not only for yourselves, dear candidates for ordination, but for all those who are entrusted to your pastoral care.  

You are to render them wholesome services.  This is difficult for many to understand today.  For fewer and fewer people want to know about God.  Holiness is often reduced to "being whole" in the medical sense, to wellness and a pleasant emotional life.  But such a view falls short.  We are only truly sanctified, holy and holy when we place the Holy of Holies - God - at the centre of our life and work.  Seen in this way, holiness concerns us all.  Becoming holy is not something aloof, not for the sanctimonious, not for the cranky, let alone for the sanctimonious.  Holiness is down-to-earth and authentic.  People notice if they can trust us.  Holy priests talk about heaven while standing with both feet on the ground.  The probation to holiness begins here and now: We are in the world, but not of the world.   In this sense, I congratulate you on your decision to become a priest and to give your life fully and without reassurance into the hands of God: "Lord, in you I trust, into your hands I commit my life." (responsory at Compline) May the Holy God whom you serve help you to become holy priests.  Then the renewal of the Church will succeed.  Amen.